AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASSROOM IN A SLUM (Flamingo)

Sir Stephen Harold Spender was born on February 28, 1909, in London. He attended Oxford University and fought in the Spanish Civil War. In the 1920's and 1930's he associated with other poets and socialists, and his early poetry was often inspired by social protest. During World War II, Spender worked for the London fire service. He co-founded Horizon magazine with Cyril Connolly and served as its editor from 1939 to 1941. He was editor of Encounter magazine from 1953 to 1966.Spender's books of poetry include Twenty Poems (1930), Vienna (1934), The Still Centre (1939), Poems of Dedication (1946), and The Generous Days (1971). Spender was professor of English at University College, London, from 1970 to 1977, and gave frequent lecture tours in the United States. He was knighted in 1983. Spender died on July 16, 1995

Stanza 1 

Far far from gusty waves these children's faces. 

Like rootless weeds, the hair torn round their pallor: 

The tall girl with her weighed-down head. The paper- 

seeming boy, with rat's eyes. The stunted, unlucky heir 

Of twisted bones, reciting a father's gnarled disease, 

His lesson, from his desk. At back of the dim class 

One unnoted, sweet and young. His eyes live in a dream 

Of squirrel's game, in tree room, other than this. 

1. The poet describes these children’s faces like rootless weeds.
They are so unwanted by the society, the “rootless weeds” means those that are unwanted. Weeds means unwanted and rootless means not belonging. It has double effect on the people
2. The poet describes the children’s faces with ‘the hair round their pallor’.
The hair torn round their pallor means that the hairs of these children are rough and messy and scattered.
3. Explain the meaning behind the following sentences from Stanza 1.
I. The tall girl with her weighed-down head
The girl is ill and exhausted
II. The stunted, unlucky heir of twisted bones.
The boy is stunted means underdeveloped and has an inherited disability.
III. His eyes live in a dream. A squirrel’s game, in the tree room, other than this
The boy is full of hope about the future and is day dreaming.

Stanza 2 

On sour cream walls, donations. Shakespeare's head, 

Cloudless at dawn, civilized dome riding all cities. 

Belled, flowery, Tyrolese valley. Open-handed map 

Awarding the world its world. And yet, for these 

Children, these windows, not this map, their world, 

Where all their future's painted with a fog, 

A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky 

Far far from rivers, capes, and stars of words. 

4. The poet then describes the classroom having ‘sour’ walls which means

The cream walls of the classroom need to be re-painted. There are many things that have been donated on the walls. The picture of a clear sky at dawn and a beautiful Tyrolese valley indicating the beauty of nature and hope which is contrary to the reality of the slum children. 

5. The poet describes ‘civilized dome riding all cities.

The dome is that of an ancient city building standing for civilization and progress and a world map awarding the children the world. Dome represents ancient civilisation and structures present in all cities it represents the constructed houses in cities. But for the children in the slum these things mentioned in the text books are not relevant because they do not live in a constructed house. 

6. What are the narrow streets symbolic of?

The narrow roads do not lead them to a better future and these children are removed from the beautiful enlightened world. The narrow street is symbolic of a restricted life, shrouded in desolation. 

7. Why is their future painted with a fog? 

“Fog” means obscurities. The life of the slum children is full of darkness and hopelessness because of their poverty. Their future is foggy, unwelcoming and monotonous. The situations of the slums are so pathetic that the children staying there do not get a chance to breathe in the fresh open air. 

8. What does these words lead sky, far from rivers, capes and stars of words imply?
These words imply a bleak future.

Stanza 3 

Surely, Shakespeare is wicked, the map a bad example. 

With ships and sun and love tempting them to steal — 

For lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes 

From fog to endless night? On their slag heap, these children 

Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel 

With mended glass, like bottle bits on stones. 

All of their time and space are foggy slum. 

So blot their maps with slums as big as doom. 

9. Why is Shakespeare wicked and the map a bad example?

The study of Shakespeare is wicked because it tempts them to liberate themselves from their mundane lives; the maps of foreign lands are a bad example because they give children ideas of escape but it is not attainable for these children in the slum. 

10. Why is the night endless?
There seems to be no future for them. There is only darkness in their life.
11. Mention the words that spell of physical ailments of children.
Disease abounds in the school classroom as reflected in the phrase ‘slag heap’, ‘skins peeped through by bones’, reciting a father’s gnarled disease.
12. What does these phrases mean
Wear skins peeped through by bones and spectacles of steel
With mended glass
These phrases depict the extreme poverty in the slum. Children are malnourished and wear spectacles that are very old and repaired time and again.
13. What does the map represent ?

The ‘map’ of their future is irreparably ‘blotted’ by fog, as the poet says in the second stanza. It implies that the future holds little promise for them and Fate has charted out a bleak path for them. But the maps are windows into the bigger greener, sunnier world for them, an escape from their tomb like existence. These windows hold the key to their freedom. There is thus a transition to a more hopeful note in the third stanza. 

Stanza 4 

Unless, governor, inspector, visitor, 

This map becomes their window and these windows 

That shut upon their lives like catacombs, 

Break O break open till they break the town 

And show the children to green fields, and make their world 

Run azure on gold sands, and let their tongues 

Run naked into books the white and green leaves open 

History theirs whose language is the sun 

14. What is the tone in the last stanza?
It is optimistic unlike the rest of the poem.
15. Who spells hope for the children?
A governor, a teacher, an inspector, or a visitor, freeing them from bondage.
16. What is the positive imagery in this stanza?
The imprisoned minds and lives of the children are liberated, the inextinguishable spirit of human creativity will then reside in them.
17. How does he view the liberated children?

He imagines the liberated children running on the ‘ gold sands’ and delving into books. When the children are liberated the inextinguishable spirit of human creativity will then reside in them. 

18. With the words “Break O break”, what does the poet seem to say?

He desperately wants that the children should break out of these catacombs. Catacombs are burial chambers implying the near death existence of these children. 

19. With the words ‘Run naked into books’ ,what does the poet seem to say?
These words refers to freedom of expression.
20. What does the poet want for the children of the slums? how can their lives be made to change?
Or
Bring out the optimism in the poem.
Stephen Spender in this poem questions the value of education in a slum. He suggests that maps of the world and good literature may raise hopes and aspirations of the students which will never be fulfilled. But then he appeals to the governor, teacher, inspector and visitor to rescue the poor and oppressed from the tomb of class discrimination and to show the children to the fields and make their world free. The poet feels that these people have the power to liberate the children. They can then be seen running on the gold sands and delving into books. Then the inextinguishable spirit of human creativity will reside in them.

 Figures of speech in the poem

Lines from the poem	Figure of speech	Explanation
The paper seeming boy(stanza 1)	Metaphor	The boy is as thin as a paper
Civilised dome riding all cities (stanza 2)	Metaphor	Dome represents ancient civilisation and structures present in all cities it represents the constructed houses in cities. But for the children in the slum these things mentioned in the text books are not relevant because they do not live in a constructed house.
Their future’s painted with a fog (stanza 2)	Metaphor	The children’s future is compared to fog. The poet says the future of these children in slum are quite uncertain.
A narrow street sealed in with a lead sky (stanza 2)	Metaphor	For these children education is like a grey sky. Because they know that there is no escape from this poverty.
Lives that slyly turn in their cramped holes (stanza 3)	Metaphor	The children's lives or fate is sly. The poet says that fate is cunning and these children are left in a cramped hole or a mouse hole.
On their slag heap (stanza 3)	Metaphor	Slag heap refers to malnourished bodies of the children.
History is theirs whose language is the sun (stanza 4)	Metaphor	The poet says that we all know that the world is governed by the rich, the autocrat or the dictator but only a few people can create history by their fine ideas, language and views, so their language must contain the warmth of the sun to create history. He ends the poem with a fine metaphor and a positive note.
Like rootless weeds (stanza 1)	Simile	These children are unwanted to the society they are compared to rootless weeds.
Like bottle bits on stones(stanza 3)	Simile	They are so weak that their bones are visible inside their thin, undernourished skin.
As big as doom(stanza 3)	Simile	Slums where life is worse than death.
These Windows that shut upon their lives like catacombs (stanza 4)	Simile	The maps in their classrooms teach the children about the countries and cities and the world around them but these children can only dream about such things in their lives. These maps are compared to windows but for these children they are only dreams and windows are shut upon their lives as Catacombs. Catacombs are burial chambers it implies the pitiable existence of these children.

To view the video narration of the poem click here.